1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to public bathroom disinfectants and deodorizers, and in particular, to an apparatus which disinfects a public toilet or urinal and deodorizes the surrounding area.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
It is often desired to provide an apparatus which will disinfect a public toilet or urinal and which will deodorize the surrounding area. Well-known solutions for this problem include providing an apparatus which will dispense drips of a liquid disinfectant into the public toilet or urinal. The liquid disinfectant also includes a fragrance and the apparatus diffuses this fragrance into the surrounding area. Operators of public bathroom facilities often desire the option of choosing between many different fragrances so that the fragrance of the surrounding area will be comfortable and pleasing to users of the public bathroom. Well known solutions for this problem include manufacturing liquid disinfectants having different fragrances so that the public bathroom operator can choose a liquid disinfectant having a particular fragrance that appears to be pleasing. It is burdensome to produce and distribute these multiple liquid disinfectants. Another problem with this solution is that it does not give the public bathroom operator the ability to vary the intensity of a particular fragrance being diffused by the apparatus. An additional problem occurs when the public bathroom operator decides that the chosen fragrance is undesirable and wishes to choose a new fragrance. The public bathroom operator must wait until the entire amount of the remaining liquid disinfectant is used by the apparatus, or to immediately change the fragrance, must replace the remaining amount of the liquid disinfectant with another liquid disinfectant having a different fragrance. This is inefficient and inconvenient to the public bathroom operator.
It is therefore desirable to have an improved disinfectant dispensing and fragrance diffusing apparatus that will enable the particular fragrance and the intensity of the particular fragrance being diffused to be changed independently of the liquid disinfectant being dispensed.
The following patents, some of which may, be relevant to the present invention: Freese, U.S. Pat. No. 660,543, issued Oct. 23, 1900; Walz, U.S. Pat. No. 957,449, issued May 10, 1910; Winter, U.S. Pat. No. 1,009,205, issued Nov. 21, 1911; Hitchcock, U.S. Pat. No. 1,063,684, issued Jun. 3, 1913; Fuld et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,251,734, issued Aug. 5, 1941; Loncker, U.S. Pat. No. 3,254,841; and Byrson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,229,415, issued Oct. 21, 1980.
Additionally, the inventors are aware of Madigan, U.S. Pat. No. 1,171,737, issued Feb. 15, 1916; Crowel, U.S. Pat. No. 2,177,056, issued Oct. 24, 1939; and Reynolds, U.S. Pat. No. 2,687,916, issued Aug. 31, 1954, which may be relevant to the present invention. None of these references, either singly or in combination, disclose or suggest the present invention.